Chapter 17: A Peaceful Day’s End
"Jin. You’re still here? I thought you’d already gone out on a quest."
On his way to the reception desk, Jin was suddenly called out to. It was Erza.
"Oh, done with training? Good work, Erza."
"Yeah. Well, after lunch I’ll be back at it again, though."
She spoke a little bashfully, clearly pleased by the simple words of appreciation. Watching her, Jin remembered he’d forgotten to mention something about the cool-down exercises.
"Oh, right. Erza, do you have a minute? I forgot to tell you something earlier about those exercises."
"Hm? Ah, perfect timing then. You’re about to eat, right? Let’s have lunch together. My treat—as thanks for before."
"Heh, then I’ll gladly take you up on that. Could you wait a second? I just need to accept this quest first."
Erza’s earnest insistence on small courtesies made Jin smile inwardly.
"Got it. I’ll be killing time looking over the requests on the board—just call me when you’re done."
With Erza’s agreement, Jin jogged over to the reception desk.
"Hello, Aria-san. Could I take these two again, same as yesterday?"
This time, Jin properly made it to Aria’s counter and asked her to process the request.
"Yes."
Aria swiftly went through the paperwork, though her mood somehow felt stiff. Jin wondered if she wasn’t feeling well, but he chose not to pry. Women had all sorts of reasons, after all.
"All done."
"Thank you very much, Aria-san. I’ll be heading out then."
"…Yes."
There was a tiny pause between her nod and her answer, but Jin didn’t notice anything odd. He simply walked away, heading back to Erza at the board.
After letting her know he was finished, they left the guild together.
From behind the counter, Aria’s eyes followed their retreating backs.
"My, my. Curious, are we, Aria-san?"
Samantha teased in a sing-song voice as she watched her junior receptionist. With lunchtime approaching, no adventurers were waiting in line.
"…Not at all."
Only then did Aria realize she’d been unconsciously watching them. She quickly dropped her gaze to the papers in her hands to cover it up.
"Off for lunch, just the two of them. …Calling each other by name. …Seemed awfully friendly, didn’t they?"
Samantha deliberately spaced out her words, each one making Aria twitch. Watching that reaction, Samantha’s gaze was equal parts amused and fond.
It had been six years since Aria became her junior, but Samantha had never once seen her like this.
Aria’s work was always fast and precise—her competence widely acknowledged. Her one flaw, if you could call it that, was her lack of warmth. But paired with her beauty, it hadn’t stopped countless men—adventurers and otherwise from trying their luck.
At first, her cold demeanor and background had kept most of them at bay. But spend enough time around her, and her quiet charms become clear. Even so, whether faced with shallow flirtations or serious confessions, Aria’s heart had never once been swayed.
And yet… with this rookie who had only arrived two days ago, her attitude was unmistakably different. Their dinner together yesterday hadn’t revealed much, but one thing was certain: she didn’t see him as just another man.
As for the rookie himself, he’d cleared two quests on the very day he registered, and came across as a polite, respectable young man. Promising, at least. Samantha would reserve judgment, but for now she was simply grateful—he had managed to draw out this unexpectedly adorable side of Aria.
"Aria, let’s eat lunch together today, too, alright?"
Yes, Samantha thought. Today’s meal would be another delightful one.
Meanwhile, Jin and Erza had left the guild and headed to a diner she recommended.
It turned out to be a place even better value than the Traveler’s Rest Inn special set meal—cheaper, more filling, and reasonably tasty to boot. Erza displayed an impressive appetite, even ordering extra bread, as they chatted about cool-down exercises and other small talk.
She explained that she’d come to this town about a year ago to become an adventurer, and was currently ranked D. Normally, she worked as a pair with a female fire mage, but since her partner was tied up, she was taking the opportunity to train in long-range combat skills.
She also confessed with a wry smile that she and her partner had once thought of renting a house together, but since both were hopeless at housework, they gave up and stayed at an inn instead.
Having lived alone for so long, Jin could handle all the basics of housekeeping. If she ever asked, he’d happily retrain her—but since she didn’t seem interested, he wisely kept quiet.
They chatted and ate for nearly an hour before parting ways, Erza returning to training while Jin made for the city gates.
Today’s gate guard was none other than Burke.
"Hey, Jin. You look lively."
"Thank you for your hard work, Burke-san."
"Looks like you’ve got yourself good gear now—you’re shaping up to be a proper adventurer. Off on a quest?"
"Yes. I shouldn’t be out too late today."
"Good. The gates lock up tight around nine, so don’t cut it close. Worst case, make sure you’re back before sundown."
"Yes, I only plan to stay nearby today. I’ll return by four or five at the latest."
"That early, huh? Oh, hold on a sec."
Burke ducked into the guard post and came back with a coin.
"This here’s the small gold coin you left as a deposit. Sign here."
Jin signed the document, relieved to see it properly written in this world’s script, and accepted the coin.
"Alright, all set."
"Yes, received. Thank you very much."
"Don’t thank me—it’s standard procedure. …Actually, I should be thanking you."
"…?"
"Remember the other day, when you told me to thank my wife at dinner? I did it, and she was over the moon."
"Oh, that’s great to hear."
"Yeah. It really made me think about a lot of things. Well… what I mean is, I owe you one. Thanks, Jin."
He stumbled over his words, embarrassed, but the sincerity in Burke’s voice was unmistakable.
"I’m glad I could be of help."
Jin replied with a smile.
"So, my wife said she’d like to meet you. One of these days, I might invite you over for a meal, so if you’re free, I’d appreciate it if you joined us."
"Eh? Your wife… knows about me?"
Jin was startled, not understanding how the man’s wife could possibly know of him.
"Yeah. I told her.”
Apparently, when his wife had asked why he suddenly said such a thing, Burke had honestly told her about Jin’s advice. Jin thought to himself that, normally, saying ‘I only said it because someone told me to’ would be grounds for getting scolded. But since Burke had said it earnestly, his wife had been genuinely happy instead. Truly, she must be a remarkable woman.
"In that case, I’d be glad to join you. Please give my regards to your wife as well."
Even if that sounded like nothing more than a polite formality, the joy on Burke’s face was genuine. That was more than enough for Jin.
"Good. I’ll tell her. Now, get out there and do your best with that request. Oh, and don’t forget—we’ve still got that drinking promise once things settle down."
"Yes, I’m looking forward to it."
With that, Jin parted ways with Burke. As with the day before, he used his Map skill to search, then went out collecting herbs. Perhaps he was getting used to it—this time the harvesting went more smoothly, and he only gathered what was scattered around the outskirts of town.
But while collecting, Jin mixed in dashes, sidesteps, and other practice movements as he moved. The extra weight of his gear and herbs made it cumbersome, but he decided to treat it as simulated combat training and repeated the motions over and over. His aim was to acquire footwork-related skills.
That morning, he had read in the guild’s archives about skills like Step, Dash, and Leg Strength Up. Jin felt those would be particularly useful to him.
His envisioned combat style was to wield a bastard sword in both hands as his main form, switching to one-handed when needed so his left hand was free to cast magic. Normally, the stable approach would be using a shield in his left hand and swapping with Change as the situation required, but Jin figured that would only hold him back in the long run if he relied too much on his unique skills.
Without a shield, he would naturally have to rely on sword technique to deflect attacks—or on the skill to dodge them altogether. The former required real combat experience to polish, and couldn’t be done alone. But evasive movement and swift footwork could be trained solo, so Jin threw himself into it.
He recalled action scenes from movies, boxing footwork, even Chinese martial arts steps, and imitated them. Thanks to his Martial Talent and Body Control Boost skills, his reproduction was surprisingly close to the real thing. Unconsciously, his upper body also slipped into martial arts movements along with his steps.
At the same time, he continued practicing magic. He fired off the Mana Bullet and Mana Rifle spells he had relearned the previous day in between his footwork practice, resting until his mana recovered, then repeating the cycle.
He even experimented with different chants:
"O power of mana, gather and strike down my foe—Mana Bullet!"
"O great power of mana, gather here and strike down the enemy—Mana Bullet!"
"Mana, gather and strike down my foe—Mana Bullet!"
"Mana, gather and strike—Mana Bullet!"
As expected, only the keyword really mattered; the rest was for imagery. After many trials, he concluded that the words "Mana,” "Gather,” and "Strike the enemy” were indispensable. They represented what he sought, the act of convergence, and the target of the attack.
In other words, as long as the mental image was solid, the keywords alone should suffice. But despite several attempts with only the bare minimum words, the spell never activated.
By the time nearly three hours of gathering and training had passed, Jin checked his status. Sadly, none of the footwork-related skills had been unlocked, nor had Chant Shortening. He had hoped the abbreviated chants might count, but it seemed the skill required something more.
Shaking off his disappointment, Jin wrapped up for the day and headed back to town. After greeting Burke at the gate, he went to the guild to report his completed request.
"Yes. Perfect once again. I’ll add the 25% bonus to your reward. The apothecaries were especially pleased with the excellent condition of your herbs."
"Thank you. That makes me very happy."
There was nothing quite as rewarding as seeing others pleased with your work.
Jin glanced around—no one else was waiting at the counter—then leaned forward to speak to Aria.
"Aria-san, may I ask you something?"
"Yes, it’s fine now. Go ahead."
"Thank you. Actually, I was thinking of renting a small house, even just a modest one. Where would be the best place to look?"
Aria froze for a moment, her expression betraying surprise.
"Well, you see, an inn feels a little overpriced. I thought living alone might be better. Fortunately, I can manage household chores, so it wouldn’t be a problem."
The moment he casually mentioned "living alone,” Aria seemed to reboot. But Jin, oblivious, continued on as if nothing had happened.
"I see. I understand how you feel, but I think it would be better if you waited a little longer. If you were part of a party and planned to share a house together, that would be one thing. But in your current situation, renting a whole house on your own would be difficult. To settle in one area, most landlords won’t trust you unless you’ve raised your adventurer rank to at least D. Also, since adventurers live a dangerous life, you’d be required to pay a large portion of the rent up front. From a financial perspective as well, I’d say it’s too early."
Aria spoke with an apologetic expression.
Jin nodded. Indeed, without a track record, it was only natural for people to view him as just another armed drifter. And besides, even if he had the money, he couldn’t freely use it yet. No matter how he looked at it, Aria was right—it was far too soon.
"Now that you say it, you’re absolutely right. Thank you for the advice."
"Not at all. When the time comes, I’ll be able to introduce you to the right place, so please bring it up again then."
"I will. Thank you. Sorry for taking up so much of your time. I’ll see you again tomorrow."
Realizing he shouldn’t linger any longer, Jin politely bid Aria farewell and headed to the treasurer’s desk to process his payment.
He had originally planned to research housing afterward, but with that plan dashed, he found himself with unexpected free time. After receiving his reward, Jin wandered over to the request board, thinking about what to do next.
There were several standing requests posted there. Requests weren’t always posted first thing in the morning—depending on when they were submitted, they went up as soon as the paperwork was complete, with the overflow posted the next morning. Since the guild was frequented not only by adventurers but also by clients, requests arrived throughout the day.
"Excuse me, are you Jin-san?"
Hearing his name, Jin turned around to see a serious-looking man in his forties.
"Yes, that’s me."
"Ah, I thought so. My name is Bean, an apothecary. I just heard from Aria-san—your gathering methods are meticulous, and it’s been an enormous help. I simply had to thank you in person."
Bean, the apothecary, spoke with barely contained excitement.
"Ah, I see. No, the pleasure’s mine. I’m glad to hear you’re pleased."
Jin smiled back, understanding now. For an adventurer, building a name and trust was essential. Aria had likely introduced him to Bean precisely to help expand his network.
"Of course I’m pleased! You see, it’s hard to obtain fresh herbs. Many are delivered in poor condition, reducing their quality significantly. But every herb you’ve brought has been perfectly fresh and carefully prepared. Thanks to that, we’ve even managed to brew a few potions with greater potency than usual. Truly, thank you."
For potion-making, herbs of a certain minimum quality were required, yet half the herbs adventurers brought in were often unusable. Compared to that, Jin’s herbs were consistently top-grade, to the point where higher-grade potions could be made. Delivering such results two days in a row was no small feat—it was only natural for Bean to want to secure a connection.
Of course, Aria hadn’t told him that Jin was only on his second day as an adventurer, or that his gathering took just one or two hours. Bean couldn’t even imagine it.
"I submitted a gathering request earlier. It should be posted by tomorrow at the latest. If possible, I’d be very grateful if you accepted it, Jin-san."
Bean spoke humbly, almost pleading.
"As you may know, the Pam Flower only blooms at this time of year. It’s the key ingredient in the cure for Hashikana fever, which often affects children. Normally, we’d have a steady supply during this season, but this year’s yield has been poor. I believe you’d have no trouble finding it. If you could accept the request, it would be an enormous relief."
Bean had completely convinced himself that Jin was a professional gatherer—and with Jin’s Map skill, it was indeed a simple task. Considering the consequences if the medicine ran short, refusing wasn’t an option.
Jin wasn’t the kind of old man who blindly doted on children, but he had always treasured his nieces, nephews, and their kids. For the sake of the children, he was all the more willing to give his best.
"Understood. I’ll come to the guild first thing tomorrow morning and accept the request then."
"You will? Thank you so much!"
After readily agreeing, Jin parted with Bean and headed for the archives to research the Pam Flower. He spent about an hour studying not only the flower but a few other things as well before leaving the guild.
As usual, he stopped by the public bath to wash off the day’s sweat, then returned to the inn, had dinner, and went to bed early to prepare for tomorrow.
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